country. Tree years ago, the school board decided to go ahead with a green initiative for both the school buildings and the buses in the district. Te decision to replace the entire fleet came about when the numbers showed that maintaining the buses cost more than the buses were worth. Tirty of the buses had over 200,000 miles on them, and 124
buses weren’t under warranty. Also entering into the decision was the fact that diesel spiked to over $4 a gallon. With CNG, there was a Federal Tax Credit of $0.50 per gallon. While the district’s older diesel fleet got about 5.6 mpg, with CNG, they see 7.5 to 8 mpg, with much cleaner emissions. Over a ten-year period, they expect greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by 6,721 metric tons, the equivalent of taking 1,415 passenger cars off the road. Waterman said North Kansas City’s buses travel over 5 million miles a year. With diesel prices high, and the price of propane going through the roof at about the same time, the district chose between CNG and electric. CNG made the most economic sense. “For the amount of fuel that we use, propane would have had to be delivered two or three times a week,” he explained. “Electric just wasn’t viable. Te buses are expensive, and here in the Midwest, we have extreme highs and lows in temperature. It’s different in California, but here it just wouldn’t work for us.”
Another reason the district went with CNG is that it is piped in
from the town supply down the street via a six-inch line. Te gas passes through a regulator, then a dryer, which cleans impurities. It then goes to the compressor and finally to holding tanks that maintain pressure. “We have two types of fill,” added Waterman. “Te slow fill or the quick fill. On our center island, when those drivers come in from their routes, they hook up the nozzles and the buses fill slow- ly over time. It takes four to five hours to slow fill a bus. But, for my special needs buses, I need options. I like those buses to have the ability to respond to our student’s needs all day. Tose drivers can quick fill their bus, and it is no different than being at the 7-11 filling up any other vehicle.” Waterman advised transportation departments that are thinking about switching to an alternative fuel to do research. “Find out what other districts are doing that works for them. Ultimately, you need to understand your needs for your specific district and your kids,” he said. “Tat is paramount; every district is different.”
Te Federal Highway Administration offers an interactive map to show where CNG, propane, and electric vehicles may refuel or charge. Learn more at
www.stnonline.com/go/ai.
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